Little Love
by SmileyGirl123
Summary: Legolas was, perhaps, one of the most influential characters of the Lord of the Rings series. But where did he come from? In this story, we will follow Legolas's past before the Ring of Power had been found again. Will he escape the slavers?
1. Chapter 1

No, unfortunately neither lilygirl7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings... Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money... But we're not.

I am writing this story with a friend, lilygirl7707 (In case you couldn't notice). I wrote this chapter but the bit at the very end is the courtesy of lilygirl7707. lilygirl7707 will write the next chapter and I'll write the next and so on and so forth. Enjoy!

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><p>Finally, Legolas looked up and could see Fangorn Forest in the distance. He and Relvic had been walking for days due to the younger elf's pace. Relvic was not nearly as old as Legolas was, he only stood Legolas's shoulder height, and therefore could not keep the same pace that Legolas could. Even at the slower pace, Legolas could hear the poor boy huffing along beside him.<p>

"Almost there. I think we should make it by nightfall," Legolas encouraged Relivic. Discreetly, Legolas slowed the pace again and he could hear Relvic's breathing start to ease up.

"What do you think that is, sir?" Relvic asked, pointing to a group of people off in the distance that appeared to be making their way towards the forest as well.

"I don't know, but it appears as though they are planning to stay the night there as well. Let's hope they're friendly. Or at least, leave us alone." Legolas answered. This appeared to satisfy Relvic, though he continued to glance uneasily at the group until they disapeared into the forest. Time passed steadily until Legolas and Relvic were walking in the shade of the trees. As they walked they could hear the trees creaking all around them.

"This looks like a good place to set up camp," Legolas said as they came upon a clearing. Relvic gathered water from a nearby stream while Legolas started a fire with the wood they'd brought. After a dinner, Legolas sat next Relvic, by the fire.

"Sir, aren't these woods haunted?" Relvic asked after glancing at the trees that had never stopped creaking since they'd entered the forest.

"Haunted? No. It is said that elves once taught the trees to speak, and that's what you're hearing. The trees speaking to one another. Fangorn Forest is anything but haunted. Someday, it may become a bad idea to enter these woods, but they will never be haunted. Not with all the Ents around here," Legolas reassured Relvic. But Relvic's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Ents? What are Ents?" the boy exclaimed in fear.

"There's no need to fear them, they're tree herders. They protect the trees. Don't harm the trees and the Ents will not hurt you."

At this answer, Relvic settled down by the fire. Relvic had just fallen asleep when there was a rustle in a bush nearby. Legolas looked up in alarm, his keen eyes piercing the darkness, looking for the source of the noise. There was another rustle on the other side of the clearing. Fearing an ambush, Legolas woke Relvic and picked up his bow and quiver. Seeing this, Relvic picked up his sword. As a test, Legolas sent an experimental arrow into the first bush that had made a noise. The arrow found it's make stuck, a slight groan emitted from the undergrowth and the body of a man fell forward and landed on it's side with a dull thud. All at once, as though this had been a signal, a dozen other men jumped out of the bushes all around the clearing. They were only armed with clubs and swords, so they all charged at once, trying to overwhelm the two elves. Legolas let his bowstring sing as fast as it could, downing three men before the nine remaining men were upon Legolas and Relvic. Out of the corner of his eye, Legolas saw Relvic kill two men, but it was still seven on two. The odds were not on their side. Legolas took an arrow out of his quiver, but had no time to load it, so he simply ramed it into the chest of the nearest ambusher. Suddenly, Legolas heard a scream come from behind him. One of the ambushers had implanted his sword into Relvic's chest. Before Legolas even had a chance to avenge Relvic's death, his killer had his chopped off by what appeared to be the leader. The man Legolas assumed to be the leader screamed what sounded like, "Do not kill them! Very simple orders!" But before Legolas had a chance to puzzle out these words, another man was upon him.

"You! Knock him out, will you?" the leader screeched, pointing at someone behind Legolas. Just as Legolas started to turn to see who the leader was ordering around, there was strike to the back of his head and he could hear something vibrating. He twisted as he fell to ground and the last thing he saw could've made him laugh. The last thought that crossed his mind was, _Knocked out by a girl with a frying pan. Good job Legolas, good job._

Legolas groaned and tried to sit up, only to find that he was tied down to a rough surface. He opened his eyes and in front of him stood the man that had ordered the girl to knock him out, the one he'd guessed was the leader.

"Welcome to hell, Pretty Boy," the man rumbled in a deep, threatening voice.

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><p>lily: well, what do ya think?<p>

voice: i think you have no right to be commenting since you didn't write this first chapter...

lily: oh, come on voice! i helped!

voice: helped what? give your friend the general idea... then, yes, you did.

lily: *rolls eyes* review, it's the sure way of getting voice to shut up... please? it's just pressing a little button...


	2. Chapter 2

No, unfortunatley neither lilygirl7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings... Cause if we did, we'd be rolling in money... But we're not...

Just a little reminder, I wrote last chapter, so lily7707 wrote this one. Thanks for the reviews you guys!

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><p><em>Hell, an accurate name for this place<em>, Legolas thought as once again. The leather hit his back. He made the first noise he had since capture. A small hiss left his lips. He didn't like how the man smiled.

"Finally got through to you did we, elf?" Legolas didn't answer as he hadn't for three days of torture. The man bent down to look in Legolas's eyes. Legolas currently was in the middle of the room with his ankles shackled to the floor and his hands pulled up and hung over his head by a suspended chain.

"What is your named, little elf?" The man asked sweetly right in Legolas's face. With all the force the prince could muster he spat in the man's face. The man got up and looked at his guard. Then Legolas smelled it. Salt. The guard walked up and with an evil smile rubbed the salt into his back. Legolas didn't make a sound.

"Well, elf. It seems you don't respond to your own pain... but maybe the blood of others will loosen your tongue," then he turned to his guard. "Bring her in."

The doors opened and in came two guards with a little human that could be no more than 14 squeezed in between them. The human had dark brown hair with a deep red tint and blue eyes that matched his own. Her face was gaunt yet pretty. She had a bruise on her cheek and it was obvious that it was newly formed. The man walked up to the human.

"Girl, you were some sort of translator, yes?" she nodded meekly. "You speak elfish?"

"Sindarian," her voice was so soft so fragile that you felt as if you moved and it would shatter. Then Legolas realized why. This was a voice of an innocent.

"Whatever. Ask the elf who he is," he said pointing at Legolas. Her eyes followed his figure and saw Legolas for the first time.

"Yes, master" She walked up tom and knelt by him like the man had done not moments ago. "I'm sorry," She said in elfish. "Who are you?"

Legolas turned his eyes away as he saw the man get up behind her with the whip. The girl did not scream just cringed as the leather hit her back splitting the dress she wore. "Who are you?" She asked again. A guard forced Legolas to look at her. She hadn't gotten the full sentence out before the whip hit her back and it went like that for a while. Suddenly something change the girl screamed and Legolas realized that they had changed whips into a much meaner looking one with sharp mithril piece at the end.

"Daro!" She pleaded "Saus daro!" She begged the man.

"Legolas," the prince choked out. Shocked at how broken his voice sounded. "My name is Legolas."

The man smiled in triumph and he and his guards left leaving the girl.

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><p>Lily: Awwwwww... Yes Voice, I wrote this one.<p>

Voice: Mhmmmhmm *said through duck tape*

Lily: I gotta thank you guys for reviewing!

Smiley: Hey Lil!

Lily: Smiley! Wait what are you doing in my mind?

Smiley: You invited me.

Lily: Oh yeah. Sorry forgot, too busy gloating to Voice.

Smiley: Someone reviewed?

Lily: YES. I couldn't be happier a day without voices nagging...

Smiley: Mmm, let's hope that someone reviews again, then!

Lily: Review now!

Smiley: Haha take that Voice, she didn't say please!


	3. Chapter 3

No, unfortunately neither lilygirl7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings... Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money... But we're not.

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><p>The girl just sat there, as though being left in the cold, mucky cell wasn't the worst thing that could happen to her. She sat there and continued to stare at Legolas for some time, barely blinking. Finally, when the silence started to press in on Legolas's ears, he broke it.<p>

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Lanna," she answered simply. She didn't elaborate on why she had such an odd name or add a last name or anything.

"That's an odd name," Legolas attempted once more to start a conversation. His attempt failed, however. Lanna just sat there staring at him as though he hadn't said a word. So, rather than making things more awkward, Legolas looked around at his surroundings to see if there was any chance of escape. He hadn't had much time over the past three days to look around. The slavers were always either torturing him or up in his face yelling at him, asking him questions that he refused to answer.

There wasn't much to the square room, if Legolas was free, he would have been able to walk diagonally across it in twenty steps. There was a small window, no bigger than Legolas's head. So the window was out, even if he could release himself from the chains that were binding him. There was a small creaking table that looked like if you were to touch it, it would break. The bricks that created the ceiling, walls, and floor were all covered with a gooey slime. And finally, there was the door, all the way across the room. Legolas could see candle light through the cracks so he knew that there was someone guarding him, for the moment at least. Whether they were awake or not, Legolas could not guess.

Legolas glanced back at Lanna. She was still staring blankly at him and it was starting to make him nervous. She refused to look away; it was as though she were trying to memorize his face.

"I've never met an elf before," she finally said.

"Then how did you know Sindarian?" he gave her a puzzled look. She did not answer right away; in fact, it was so long that Legolas thought that he'd imagined her speaking to him.

"I learned for someone who knew an elf," as soon as she said this, she looked away as though she couldn't believe what she'd just said. Legolas looked at her curiously. She had the look of someone who'd been imprisoned for a long time.

"How long have you been here?" Legolas asked softly, he had a feeling that it had been a very long time since she'd seen sunlight. But before she had a chance to answer, one of the goons that had helped capture Legolas opened the door.

"Time to go, little girl," he sneered. He roughly grabbed Lanna and started dragging her to the door. It didn't look like she even had the will power to resist him. She looked back at Legolas, her eyes screaming for help. This startled Legolas, it was the first emotion he'd seen Lanna present. Legolas stared after her, helpless. He wanted to break free of these chains and get himself and Lanna out of here. Any other prisoners he could as well. However, he couldn't even stand up on his own. After three days of continuous torture, he relied on the chains to keep him upright. So, Legolas had no choice but to watch as the door swung shut and was locked, leaving him alone in the darkness, the only faint light was coming from the tiny window.

After a few hours of solitude, Legolas realized that the window was just another means of torture. He could smell the sweet summer air every once in a while as a random breeze blew in the doorway. All Legolas wanted was to be able to put his face up against the bars of the window, to get as much fresh air as he could, but the chains held him in place in the center of the room.

Legolas watched as the light outside the window slowly darkened, it was now night. Legolas was in no position to sleep, however much he wanted to. Finally, the elf decided to let his body relax as much as possible and see what happened. After a few hours of uneasy rest, it started to lighten once more. Another day in Hell had begun. The leader and two more of his goons joined Legolas about an hour after the sun rose.

"Let's see what we learned from yesterday, Legolas," the leader sneered his name. The leader motioned with his hand and the two men moved forward and released Legolas from the chains. As soon as his hands were released, Legolas fell to his knees, his legs unused to having to bear his weight after four days. The three men laughed. Slowly, Legolas struggled to his feet. The two men that had released him grabbed Legolas and started dragging him out in to the corridor. They started going down, farther in to the prison. Finally, they reached a room that was slightly bigger than the one Legolas had been in. In the center, on her knees was Lanna. She gave Legolas another blank stare as he entered the room.

The leader thrust a whip in to Legolas's hands. Surprised, Legolas looked up at the man. The two goons stood next to Legolas to make sure he didn't turn on the slavers.

"Are you sure about this, Regulus?" one of them asked the leader.

"Of course I'm sure!" Regulus roared at him. "Now, let's see if you've learned how to be obedient. Whip her."

Legolas stared at him. Was he serious? From the man's evil smirk, Legolas got the feeling that yes, he was serious.

From one of his pockets, Regulus withdrew another whip and snapped it across Lanna's back.

"Whip her," he repeated. Legolas looked down at the whip in his hand. Could he do it? No, that was just cruel. Legolas couldn't whip another being, he wouldn't. He winced as the whip cracked again. It was the only way to end her pain, right?

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><p>Voice: And I thought you were evil…<p>

Lily: Are you saying Smiley's more evil than ME?

Voice: Did you read the last chapter?

Lily: I'm insulted, Voice.

Voice: Then be insulted. REVIEW.


	4. Chapter 4

No, unfortunately neither lilygirl7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings... Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money... But we're not.

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><p>Legolas stood there in shock. 'How could you even think about that?' His mind screamed at him. The leader cracked the whip against Lanna's back once again. Legolas looked at the leader who was smiling evilly at him, knowing he had won. Legolas nodded a single time and took a slow step forward. He moved the whip around in his hands, getting in ready. Lanna looked up at him as he approached her. Legolas stopped immediately. Lanna's eyes showed every emotion that pasted through her mind. Confusion, hurt... betrayal. Legolas threw the whip at the leader's feet.<p>

"I will never become a human scum like YOU. I will NEVER whip another creature. Its vial and evil and utterly disgusting, much like YOU" he stated coolly. The goons grabbed his arms and started forcing him out of the room.

"It looks like our dear elf needs to learn some manners take him to Atticol." It was obviously a person and Legolas could only guess this person's job. He looked back at Lanna. Lanna was shocked what she saw in his eyes. Fear, Honest fear and... triumph. He had meant to be dragged off to be punished so that she could avoid further pain.

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><p>Lily: I realize this is short. But I needed a terrible cliffhanger for payback against smiley for that evil question I was forced to answer. Hahahaha Smiley you gave me two options and I made my own!<p>

Voice: *blinks* I was sure you were gonna whip her mercilessly... lily, I dare say you've gone soft.

Lily: wait what? No! I guess I'll just have to redeem myself later. Review

Ps: take that smiley!


	5. Chapter 5

No, unfortunately neither lilygirl7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings... Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money... But we're not.

Sorry this took so long!

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><p>Legolas was once more dragged in to the hall, through the gloomy halls once more. This time, the journey was much less long, they only went a floor above before they arrived in another cell. The guards didn't even enter the room, they simply heaved Legolas on to the floor and left. The door closed behind them wind a foreboding Bang.<p>

This one was a replica of the room that Legolas had spent the night in and it seemed empty at first. As Legolas stood, he got the sensation that he was being watched, that there was someone in the room with him. However, no matter how hard he stared in to the corners, he could not spot anyone.

"Regulus sent you?" came a deep, throaty voice that echoed around the room so Legolas could not tell where it had originated from.

"Who?" Legolas called out, still unsure of where to look.

"The leader. The one calling the shots," the voice came again in the same manner.

"The big, beefy, ugly one?" Legolas asked again.

"Yes, that's the one," the voice answered with a dry laugh. "Now, it's my turn to ask you a question. Why are you here?"

"Apparently, I need to learn some manners."

"And do you?"

"Well, I don't think so. If anyone needs to learn manners, it's Regulus."

"That," a shadow started to move in the far corner, "I can agree with."

The shadow stood and Legolas could finally see who he'd been talking to. The man was all skin and bones; he had the look of someone who had once been muscular, but quickly lost weight due to starvation. His eyes were sunk back far in to his head and were staring in to Legolas's dully, as if life had lost all meaning. His hair was matted against his head with dirt and his skin clung his bones.

"So, you're Atticol, are you?" Legolas said after he took in the man's appearance.

"Score one for...?" Atticol answered with a question.

"Legolas," he answered.

"Legolas, huh? Good name, Legolas is a good name..." Atticol trailed off but continued to stare at Legolas, thinking. He remained motionless for several minutes, Legolas started to shift his weight uncomfortably.

The people here seem to have a thing with staring at me, Legolas thought as the minutes dragged on.

"Isn't it bad manners to stare? And I'm here to 'learn' manners, aren't I?" Legolas finally broke the silence.

"Ah, yes. That's why they all come, but they never stay. They're always rushing them through," Atticol seemed to have descended in to a state of insanity. "No one ever stays, did you know that? They always learn their lesson and leave! No 'thank you', no 'good job', just here's another prisoner! Teach him how to survive!"

"Atticol? Are you all right?" Legolas started to slowly step away from the other prisoner, he started to fear what Atticol may do in his moment of insanity.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Nothing's ever wrong. Nothing. I mean, how could anything ever be wrong?" Atticol started screaming at Legolas. "Answer me that! HOW COULD ANYTHING, EVER BE WRONG?"

At this point, the echoes were deafening. The guards opened the door and attempted to restrain Atticol who was now attempting to throw himself against the wall.

"Well, looks like he's going to the dark side, boys," said Regulus who had just entered the cell. In response, one of the guards drew his sword and stuck it in to Atticol's body. Almost immediately, Atticol's body went limp as the life left him.

"That's a shame," Regulus sighed, then turned to the guards, "Get the body out of here, dump it in the river or something. Then, take this scum back to his cell."

Regulus remained inside the cell as his goons removed the body.

"Everyone here breaks one way or another. You don't have a choice. The only choice you have is which way. Think about it, elf. Do you really want to end up like Atticol?" Regulus took his leave, letting the question hang in the air.

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><p>Lily: Smiley needs to watch <span>Shutter Island<span>, while writing, more often.

Voice: No, no she doesn't.

Lily: What a blood thirsty chapter.

Voice: Yes let's just kill the old man.

Lily: EXACTLY!

Voice: SARCASM, something i believe you're familiar with.


	6. Chapter 6

No, unfortunately neither lilygirl7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings... Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money... But we're not.

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><p>Legolas was roughly pushed back down the corridor he had just come from and into yet another room. The men pushed him hard through the door, making him stumble. There were four blankets roughly laid on the ground separated from each other and three people in the room mingling in rags. They looked up to see who had entered and Legolas watched as fear met their eyes and they straightened their backs. Each person in the room rushed in front of each of the blankets. It reminded Legolas of a human army, except they did this out of fear not respect. They pushed Legolas to the other side of the room where Lanna stood at attention next to her blanket and an empty one. The guard looked at her.<p>

"Girl, help the elf here learn the rules and regulations." Then he whispered into Legolas's ear "Do what we say and we don't hurt the girl... unless she deserves it that is" then they left. Legolas stood there with every occupant of the room staring at him. Lanna sighed and Legolas's eyes moved to hers. She gave him some advice that if it didn't make Legolas slightly angry would have been wise.

"Follow the orders given, keep your head low, and don't show them a weakness. They'll exploit it. However since you've already given them one... they'll use it, Legolas. They know now that the only way to get to you is to hurt others and well ... thank you. For stopping them, but you shouldn't have. Every slave for themselves, Legolas. That how it works here."

"We don't have to be alone" Legolas argued.

"But we do... this is life, Legolas. Get used to it." And with that she lay down on the blanket and faced her back to him. I'm getting these people out of here, Legolas vowed as he lay down on his blanket. He stared at the dull brick wall and wondered for the first time since he woke up here what his family was doing. Were they worrying about him? Probably not, he wasn't supposed to be back for months. He wondered if the trees would tell them, but then there's the small problem just like in the human game, telephone.

He woke up the next day to see Lanna leaning against the wall that he had stared at before going to sleep.

"You sleep with your eyes open. Is that an elf thing?" She asked.

"Yeah it is" Legolas said as he moved into a sitting position. Legolas looked around the room for any sign of a small window to tell the time. The other captives were sitting on their blanket with their arms wrapped around their legs. One was male looking no more than 10 at the most and a female in her late 30s.

"There isn't a window." Lanna said as if she had read his mind. "But since the guards haven't come yet it's before 6 am." Legolas nodded wondering slightly how she knew that's what he was doing.

"Legolas mean green leaf correct" Legolas nodded again.

"What does Lanna mean?" he asked.

"I'm not surprised you don't know. It means 'little love' in a language my parents made up when they were kids. My mother died in child birth and my father named me that because I looked so much like mum. Now back to your name. Why do you have such a long name? Do you even have a nickname?"

"No I don't have a nickname and I was give-" he was cut off by Lanna.

"Well you need a nickname. Your name is just too long... leggy... yeah that could work"

"Am I to assume then I have no say in the matter?" Legolas said with humor in his voice.

"Yes" was her only answer. There was silence. "What cha thinkin, leggy?" She asked.

"You seem absolutely resolved to this life. Have you forgotten what it's like to be free?" He asked. Lanna sighed.

"I've been here three years Legolas and everyone else longer than me. When all you see is brick wall and all you hear are screams from being punished and orders and threats memories of other things fade. I was like you when I first got here. Trying to find a way, anyway to get out, but let me save you some time. There isn't one. Master pays the steward of Gondor to overlook this establishment. It just goes to show you what human nature can do." Legolas knew why she was saying all these things even now Legolas was forgetting that there were some good humans like Aragorn out there. The guards came in then and ordered everyone to their post other than Lanna and Legolas. They made the pair follow them to the room they had been in the day before. They forced Lanna to her knees in front of Legolas and thrust a whip into Legolas's hands.

"I didn't cooperate with this yesterday, who's to say today is going to be different" Legolas said to Regulus. Regulus smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that, elf. It seems you need an example. Stand up, girl," Regulus said. Lanna stood slowly confusion on her face. The guards pushed Legolas into the stone wall and had him brace his hands against it. Then took the whip and put in Lanna's delicate hands. "Whip him" Lanna nodded and uncoiled the whip. Legolas looked over his shoulder at her.

"It's like I told you, leggy. Here it's every slave for themselves." She whispered as the first lash fell. Legolas clenched his fist but otherwise didn't acknowledge the leather breaking his flesh. In a way he was happy that Lanna was following orders. It was better for him, who was stronger and more capable of handling pain, than her right? But still when Legolas had the same command he refused. Legolas reminded himself with that thought that he SHOULD just feel bad for her because she believed, truly believed that the 'masters' way was the only way and so the blonde elf gritted his teeth and just took the whipping.

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><p>Voice: did you write this while watching Shutter Island?<p>

Lily: no honestly I hate that movie. This was the evil that I had stored up by writing nice chapters... I'm still disappointed in myself. Voice, you've mad me nice! Ah well... Review! It helps me be evil... or nice... maybe.


	7. Chapter 7

No, unfortunately, neither lily7707 nor I own Lord of the Rings or anything to do with it… Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money… Which we're not…

Hey guys, sorry this took sooooo long! Life got in the way…

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><p>Soon, Lana and Legolas were returned to their cell, Legolas's back burning with the fresh cuts from Lana's whipping session. Before Legolas had a chance to stride to the other side of the room, Lana was already introducing him to the other slaves.<p>

"Leggy, this is Sherryl and Johnny. Johnny, Sherryl, this Leggy, a.k.a. Legolas," Lana finished with a flourish. Legolas nodded to the two of them before he sank to the floor and leaned against the wall opposite the wall with the door in it. As soon as he had done so, the little boy, Johnny, jumped up and started towards Legolas with a warm smile on his face.

"Actually my name's Johntavius, but Lana shortened it to 'Johnny'. Kinda like she did to your name, huh, Mr. Legolas?" He said in the sweet, innocent way that only human children could achieve.

"Yeah, it's not like I had any say in the matter. But you can call me Legolas or, if you want, you can call me Leggy," Legolas said as Johnny sat down next to him. That was, however, the extent of their conversation as the door had opened revealing the first woman that Legolas had seen in this retched place that was not a slave. She had the look of someone who had just got off of a horse after riding it for days on end. Her eyes were a deep, mucky brown color, her hair, a dirty blonde color, was pulled back in to a messy ponytail. She was dressed in boots, riding pants (which Legolas found quite amusing), and a simple white shirt with several stains on it. Her thin lips did not seem to match her almost overlarge nose that kept drawing Legolas's attention. She also seemed very familiar, but Legolas couldn't place where he could've seen her before.

"So... You're the new slave?" her voice was harsh, not a very pleasant thing to listen to. She threw a pail in to the cell, nearly tipping it over while most of its contense sloshed out. After she threw in to the cell a few pieces of something unrecognizable, she gave Legolas another look. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

Legolas shook his head.

"I'm the reason you're in here," she said with a cold, hard laugh and she shut the door. And suddenly Legolas realized why she was so familiar. She was the one that had hit him with the frying pan!

"You know her?" Sherryl asked softly, her fear obvious.

"She was the one to knock me out when I was captured," Legolas elected to leave the frying pan out of the equation, there was no need for anyone else to know about that.

"Oh, ok then," and without another word, Sherryl scrambled to the lumps of what Legolas could only assume were supposed to be bread and started dividing it. Then, she lifted the pail and took a dainty sip from, trying to be as polite as possible.

"She thought you were one of 'em slave juicers," Johnny answered Legolas's unspoken question.

"Johnny! I did not! And the proper term is 'buyer', not 'juicer'," Sherryl hazarded a glance at the door as if in fear that it would open and that woman would return again.

"We're just one, big, happy family, now aren't we?" Lanna said with a smile.

"I thought you said it was every slave for themself," Legolas accused.

"Out there it is. In here, we can be nice, we can be friends. But out there, all the rules go out the window," Lanna explained.

Legolas wasn't quite sure he agreed with her but said nothing and started to pick to most edible parts off of the chunk of supposed bread. But when he reached for the pail, he stopped.

"Is this some sort of soup?" he asked in disgust.

"It's water," Lanna said as she popped her lump in to her mouth.

"But, you can't see anything!" It was true, Legolas could only see about a millimeter in to the water before it clouded up.

"Leggy, this is a good batch of water. Usually you can't see past the surface," Lanna said as she took a swig of it. Legolas looked at her in horror. "What? If you get thirsty enough, you can almost pretend it's stream fresh! Same goes for the food," she said as she reached for the lump of moldy bread that Legolas had discarded.

"Why are they so cruel to us? It's not like I did anything to them," Legolas asked, quickly changing the topic.

"Well first of all, Leggy, they're humans. They're naturally cruel," Lanna started.

"But you're all human, too!" Legolas said in surprise.

"Perhaps in appearance, but the truth is we've all been through so much that we don't really count as human... We're like superhumans. Now, second of all, they're slavers. It's their job. And finally, you have heart Legolas. They're used to capturing slaves who, as soon as they see the hulking guards and locked doors, give up hope. You have a spark in you and they want to quench that, to prevent a possible escape of uprising," Lanna said. "I used to be like that, but the truth is, the only way you're getting out of here is if you're sold or if you're dead."

"So that's what they're going to do with us? Sell us?" Legolas asked quietly.

"That, or send us to the mines. But that won't get you out of here, either. The mines are directly below us, farther down," Lanna gestured to the floor to emphasize. Everyone sat there in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Mr. Legolas? What's it like outside?" Johnny said suddenly.

"What?" Legolas looked up in surprise.

"Is it winter, Mr. Legolas? Is the snow piled as high as my head?" Jonny jumped up in excitement to demonstrate.

"No, it's summer, almost fall. The leaves are just beginning to change..." and as Legolas's description of the world outside continued, Johnny back to the ground, completely fascinated by Legolas's words, drinking in every syllable that Legolas uttered. Legolas noticed as he continued speaking, that Lanna couldn't help but listen in, that Sherryl, who was now holding Johnny, was listening almost as intently as Johnny was. Legolas realized that these people had scarce seen the light of day, other than through a barred window, since their capture. It was this realization that kept Legolas speaking long passed the point in which he had answered Johnny's question. Legolas started describing his people, the deep greens of the forest, the sound of a trickling stream, anything to keep this small moment of peace going. However, Legolas ran out of things to describe, but not before his voice grew hoarse from talking without a pause for so long. Then, too soon, Legolas's voice drifted off in to silence. The four of them sat there in the silence for what seemed like hours but could have been only a few seconds at the same time. Slowly everyone came back to their senses, first Lanna, then Sherryl, next Legolas, and lastly, no matter how hard he tried to hold on to the remnants of the descriptions, Johnny. With a sigh, he looked at Legolas with a smile of thanks that melted his heart.

That night, Legolas promised himself that he would get these people of this hell.

The next day Legolas started up another conversation with Lanna, once more.

"So you've tried to escape?" Legolas asked, pretending nonchalance.

"Yes..." Lanna answered, trying to calculate how Legolas would take her answer. "But I never managed to actually get outside. That's obvious enough, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Legolas answered vaguely, knowing what she really wanted to hear.

"Leggy, don't try it. Please, it'll only make things worse, trust me," she said in alarm.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," and with that, Legolas stood and crossed the room to see what Johnny was trying to do with two threads that he'd pulled off his clothes, earlier. Legolas could still feel Lanna gazing nervously at him across the cell.

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><p>Lily: Crapola now I'm gonna have to write a longer chapter<p>

Voice: this was surprisingly nice? of smiley.

Lily: I did notice that. It's okay I'll make my next chapter evil enough for both of us :D

Voice: One of these days I'm just going to give up

Lily: Good. Review?


	8. Chapter 8

No, unfortunately, neither lilly7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings… Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling around in money… but we're not…

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><p>Lanna marched over to Legolas and continued the argument he had attempted to avoid.<p>

"Leggy," she whispered hoarsely, "What do you mean, 'You have a plan'! Please Leggy, DON'T do something stupid."

"I promise you, Lanna, this will work. I guarantee it."

There was a creak of a floor board behind Lanna and they both stiffened.

"I promise you, it won't," Regulus claimed foully with a straggly smile. Lanna gulped visibly. "Well, friends," he said to the two guards behind him, without taking his eyes off Legolas. "It seems our buddy, Legolas, here hasn't quite learned his lesson. Take him to the classroom," he smiled at his own joke.

The two guards nodded and went to stand on either side of Legolas. Legolas stared in to Lanna's worried glance. He started to wonder about the worry in her eyes when the realization hit him, We're inside the room. Legolas gave Lanna a reassuring smile before letting himself be dragged from the room. His elfish ears were just able to detect a small boy's voice.

"Sherryl, was Mr. Legolas naughty?"

"Yes, honey."

"Is he going to come back?" Johnny asked.

"I hope so," Sherryl replied.

Lanna watched as the guards dragged Leggy out of the room followed by Regulus. She returned to Sherryl who was rocking Johnny back and forth with reassurances that Legolas was coming back.

"Bloody fool," she called him. Sherryl nodded in agreement while Johnny shook his head.

"Uh-uh. Mr. Legolas is brave like the heroes in your stories, Lanna," Lanna went over to Johnny and hugged him before explaining.

"Heroes aren't slaves, hun. Bravery works for them, keeps them alive. For slaves, it's a death sentence."

"Sherryl, was Mommy brave?" Johnny looked up at Sherryl expectantly. She hesitated before answering, deciding between the truth and lies.

"Yes, Johnny, your Momma was the bravest woman I knew. She was determined to get out before you were born, but Lanna's right. Bravery, for slaves at least, only causes death."

A single tear trailed down Johnny's cheek.

"Mommy should have been a hero, that way she could have been praised for her bravery instead of punished," he said, holding back more tears.

"Yeah, but she wasn't," Lanna insisted. "And neither are you- or Legolas," Johnny nodded and wiped away his tear.

Legolas was brought to a familiar room, the first cell, in fact, he saw in this hell hole. Regulus walked in to the light from the small window and the guards left. Legolas stood straight and strong, unafraid. He would not leave that way.

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><p>Lily: I DID mean for this to be longer.<p>

Voice: you have officially been diagnosed with short-chapter-itus.

Lily: review to help find the cure! Come on its not like it's harder than curing cancer yet everyone cares about THAT.

Voice: (PS: any rude comments lily makes that might be considered offensive to certain people are not serious they are merely meant to be funny. I apologize if Lily's big mouth offends anyone with cancer or knowing someone with cancer. thanks)


	9. Chapter 9

No, unfortunately neither lilly7707 nor I own anything to do with Lord of the Rings… cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money… which we're not…

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><p>"Alright, elf," Regulus said as he went to get something from the creaky table that stood in the corner. "We're gonna try something new, seeing as how the whippings have had such little success."<p>

There was the sound of two things rubbing together followed by a Fttt. As Regulus turned around, Legolas saw that he had lit a candle that had a huge wick, making the several times larger than normal. Confused, Legolas looked at Regulus in silence, wondering what the slaver had cooked up in the head of his.

"So, what's this brilliant plan of yours?" Regulus asked with a cold look in his eyes.

Legolas looked straight in to eyes that reminder him far too much of the stones that had trapped for... how many days had it been? Five? Seven? Legolas didn't know, but what he did know, was that it was far too long. And Regulus, seeing the look of determination in Legolas's eyes, placed the flaming wick against Legolas's left shoulder and held there no matter how much Legolas tried to escape the burning. Finally, Legolas dropped to his knees before the slaver. It was only then that Regulus removed the candle from Legolas's skin, leaving a burn the size of Legolas's hand on his shoulder. For what seemed like hours, Regulus continue questioning Legolas, Legolas remaining silent, and the burn mark on his shoulder slowly growing with each passing question. It finally got to the point in which even if he wanted to, Legolas would not be able to speak he was in so much pain. At this point, Regulus went to have a word with the guard outside the door. When he returned, he leaned against one of the walls, sizing up the huge of burned flesh that was Legolas.

"You know, this would have been a lot easier if you had just cooperated in the first place. Less pain, less... shame," Regulus said calculatingly. At this moment, the guard entered with a branding stick.

Legolas looked up, he couldn't even muster the energy to wonder what was going to happen. Just as he was lowering his head, the red hot iron came in to contact with his skin. This gave Legolas a whole new definition for the word pain, and that was saying a lot due to the amount of suffering he had gone through since he'd arrived.

"Now," Regulus said after the branding stick had been removed, leaving the smell of burnt flesh in the air, "you're mine."

And as Legolas was dragged back to the room where Sherryl, Johnny, and Lanna waited, he managed to catch a glimpse of a skull and cross bones blackened on to his skin. He could feel that although he had been badly burned, his skin would heal within the next couple of weeks, however, the brand would last a human's life time, possibly a little longer.

With a start, Legolas realized that he couldn't let any of the others see the brand, it would make them think that he had given in and that they had broken him. But if they were to think that then... But that could wait. They hadn't given him his shirt back, though. It was in that moment that Legolas decided that the plan would be put in to place tomorrow. The sooner they got out, the better.

Once again, they threw Legolas in to the cell (Didn't these people know anything about gently letting go of a person?) where Sherryl was curled up in the corner looking forlorn and Lanna was next to her, trying to comfort her.

Johnny was missing.

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><p>Voice: I think I speak for everyone when I say... NOOOO! JOHNNY BOY!<p>

Lily: Johnny boy? Isn't that Smiley's pet-name for him?

Voice: Yes, we both call him that. We're very good friends, her and I.

Lily: What? Since when?

Voice: Since you stopped being evil with your chapters.

Lily: Friend thief!

Voice: Reviews for everyone! Everyone being Smiley and nobody being Lily.

Lily: NO SMILEYS JOKE!

*Voice laughs evilly*

(Oh no! Smiley and Voice are friends and voice seems to becoming evil while lily is being... nice? what is going on? thank you for reading my lvs_ lily voice short)


	10. Chapter 10

No, unfortunately, neither lily7707 nor I own Lord of the Rings or anything to do with it… Cause if we did, then we'd be rolling in money… Which we're not…

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><p>"Where is Johnny?" Legolas demanded turning to Lanna.<p>

"Oh, Leggy" Lanna ran over to him and started crying on his barbequed shoulder. Legolas pealed her off of him and held her at a arms distance as to look into her tear filled eyes.

"Where is he?" Legolas repeated.

"They took him to the mines! He'll die down there! That's where they station all the guards who..." she cut off in her own terror. Sheryll stepped in.

"The guards stationed there are the ones who cannot control themselves and get some sick pleasure from torturing slaves for no good reason" she said through her own tears.

"There have been awful stories of slaves beaten to death deep underground or thrown into the furnace for entertainment! He's only 9!" Lanna cried. "I don't understand, Johnny was a good slave, always followed ALL the rules." Legolas pulled Lanna into a hug and motioned for Sheryll to join the hug. Legolas whispered into their ears.

"Dry your tears, I WILL get Johnny back"

"HOW LEGOLAS?" Sheryll screamed backing out of the hug. "How you gonna do that? Need I remind of you of a teeny, tiny ever so crucial detail: YOU ARE A SLAVE!" tears streamed down her cheeks. Legolas ignored her and instead asked Lanna.

"Lanna, what is your daily routine? When you're not "in trouble" that is?"

Lanna looked confused but answered. "6 set table for master's breakfast..." Legolas put up a hand with a smile.

"Thank you Lanna that'll work" he said looking at the two girls' extremely confused faces. "Sheryll, Lanna, do not become angry at me for what I propose next" they glared but nodded. "We gotta be good little slaves

! ### !

Johnny was scared. Johnny was honest to God- if there was one, since Johnny was seriously doubting Him now- scared. He knew every story of the slaves who were taken to the mines. They went down the mine stairs and never came out, beaten to death by guards, pushed into the furnace for entertainment, mine collapsing, or dying from dehydration. Johnny was thrown from his thoughts when the guard opened a familiar door, a door that appeared quite frequently in Johnny's dreams since he found out what it led to. The door to the outside world. He was led outside and pushed all thoughts of the mine from his mind as mud squeezed between his bare toes and for the first time in 9 years he took a breath of fresh air. This is it. He thought, this is what Mr. Legolas was talking about. This is why he's so determined to find a way out. This is what he misses. It was a dream beyond which he was ever able to dream. He felt as if he could run a million miles without ever stopping. He lifted his face into the sun and let it warm his features. However as all dreams, it ended much too soon and he was forced down into the mines. He took a breath half-way expecting still have a little bit of the fresh air but was greeted with a very dusty and gross reality. Freedom smells of pine. Slavery smells of death. The miner gave him a gold plated smile.

"Welcome to the seventh layer of hell, Johnny boy."

So this is how Mr. Legolas felt.

! ### !

Everything had gone according to Legolas's master plan. Legolas acted broken and ashamed and Regulus bought it brushing it off as finally getting through to him with the last session of torturer. So to the mighty Regulus, Legolas was finally broken in and ready for his first day of chores. But Regulus got too cocky and let the three slaves set the breakfast table with only two guards waiting outside the doors. Legolas walked purposefully toward Lanna and grabbed her hand opening it and wrapping it around a steak knife that he had gotten out of the dinner wear. She looked at it for a long moment before looking up at him with doe eyes.

"You can do this" he encouraged her.

"No," Sheryll interrupted "that man took Johnny's mother and my best friend. Now he tries to take Johnny as well. He's mine," she took the knife from Lanna and held it threateningly by her side with her pointer finger against the back of the blade.

"Listen to me carefully" he demanded. "Sheryll will play the part of poor, defenseless, innocent slave and kill Regulus. Lanna you will follow behind her. Open the window from Regulus's room and climb onto the roof. There should be a tree right next to the roof, if both your descriptions are correct, and you both run straight in to the trees. Do not stop for anything. Not for me. Not for Johnny. Anything. You run until you get to Rivendell—you've both heard my description. Find a human by the name Estel, hopefully he would have had the sense to go back to Rivendell when I did not show at our meeting place. Tell him Legolas needs him and point him in the right direction. Then, STAY AT RIVENDELL" he whispered the plan harshly.

"What about you, Leggy?" Lanna asked.

"Not your concern. Now go," he pleaded. The trio separated with each person ready to carry out their part of the plan.

Legolas ran for the mines, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. He made it to the front door... it was unguarded but Legolas didn't have time to be suspicious. He wrenched them open and ran towards the mines. Didn't even take the time to take a deep breath. He felt a hand on his arm and he heard the whispered words in his ear

"Well, well, well, it seems little Leggy ain't so broke after all" he was dragged by two goons away from the mines, away from Johnny, away from freedom, back inside back to slavery. He just he just prayed to whatever greater force out there that the girls had been able to get away even if they hadn't killed Regulus.

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><p>Lily: So close... so far away.<p>

Voice: Poor Johnny boy!

Lily: OMG Voice! I just realize I just completed my last chapter before the epilogue!

Voice: Yup, Smiley gets to wrap it up and then we get the epilogue aka the scene that started it all.

Lily: How we doin'? Exciting? I've given up being evil on this story I just can't seem to do it.

Voice: That's because you're writing other stories which are just plain mean, such as I don't know, Isa. I mean how many times have you all but killed the character IN THE FIRST CHAPTER?

Lily: Hahaha you're still mad about that?

Voice: Yes!

Lily: REVIEW :D IT MAKE ME HAPPY you want me to be happy right? I write faster when I'm happy... also Smiley likes me more when I'm happy aka I **can **actually convince smiley to write when I'm happy :D


	11. Chapter 11

I think (and hope) that after about eleven chapters, you realize that neither lily7707 nor I own any part of Lord of the Rings… If not, then I have nothing to say to you…

So, this is it! The final chapter. I hope that you all had as much fun reading it as lily7707 and I have had writing it! Hope you enjoyed it!

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><p>"Are you ready for this?" Lanna turned and asked Sherryl who stood behind her.<p>

"Yes," she nodded in response, tightening her grip on the knife that she had managed to smuggle past the guards in the folds of her apron.

Slowly, Lanna inched the door open to reveal Regulus sitting at a desk, presumably working out expenses and slave sales. Taking a silent, calming breath, Sherryl started forward, as silent as a shadow slipping along an alleyway at midnight. As she drew near Regulus, she began to lift the knife above her head. With a quick look behind her, Lanna silently closed the door behind her, leaving them trapped in the room with the monster that was about to be delivered justice.

"REGULUS!" came a yell from behind them. Startled, all three turned and stared at the door. Regulus jumped to his feet upon seeing two other people in the room with him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he yelled, but neither Lanna nor Sherryl paused to answer him, with a clatter of the knife and a clash of the windows, the two women fled, leaving Regulus behind, unharmed. Lanna led Sherryl across the roof, until they reached a spot they'd already scoped out that they could jump into a pile of hay. Once safely on the ground, they made a break for the forest. Out of the corner of her eye, Sherryl noticed a scuffle taking place near the entrance to the mines, though she knew that she could only hope that it was Legolas, fighting his way out with Johnny at his side.

Soon, they entered the forest and slowed to a jog that they'd both be able to sustain. After several mintes of silence, Lanna requested a break.

"Alright, but we can't stay for long," Sherryl warned as she sat down, enjoying the feel of dirt between her toes. Lanna went and leaned against a tree, stroking the bark, enjoying the smell of fresh air, the feel of freedom. Then, too soon, the pair began to run again.

"Do you think Leggy made it out okay?" Lanna asked after a few moments sounding slightly out of breath.

"He'd better," Sherryl answered with a dark look on her face as she cast a glance behind them. The two fell in to silence once more with only the sound of nature to accompany them. Then, with flailing arms, Lanna wildly tried to grasp something as she tripped over an object in the undergrowth with a loud "Oof!"

When Sherryl stepped back to investigate, she found that her friend had toppled over due to a man that had his head on the ground. Rolling her eyes in frustration at the man, she pulled Lanna to her feet.

"Come, we've already wasted enough time when we stopped, I suggest that we don't disobey Legolas again and leave this man to his ground listening," Sherryl said in disgust as she looked at the man who had barely given them a glance when they tripped over him.

"Did you say 'Legolas'?" he man cried out when he heard what Sherryl had said.

"Yes, but we really must get going, we have to get to Rivendell and then find a person named Estel, so if you'll excuse us..." Sherryl started to back away, pulling Lanna with her.

"Wait! I'm right here!" he called after them.

"I'm Estel. More commonly known as Aragorn."

Legolas looked up from the floor, rubbing his sore cheek where the miners had punched him. They recently sent a man to inform Regulus that there had been a break out, so he would know soon enough whether or not Lanna and Sherryl had succeeded in their task. Before Legolas had a chance to spare another thought on the other half of the plan, he felt the boot of a miner connect with his rib cage, letting out a sickening *Crack!* and Legolas felt a few bones give way.

"You won't get anything out of him that way," came the voice that Legolas had hoped that he would never have to hear again. Sure enough, it was Regulus that came to stand before Legolas. "Your friends failed. They left this lovely instrument behind for me." Regulus said, pointing out the obvious as he held up the knife that Legolas had given Sherryl. Then, the slaver spoke over the slave's shoulder. "Bring the boy."

Fear immediately overtook Legolas as the realization dawned on him that the miner was going to fetch Johnny.

"No! He's just a boy, leave him out of this! He had no part in any of this!

It was all my idea!" Legolas begged as Regulus looked down on the elf in triumph.

"Oh, believe me, Legolas," Regulus answered in a mocking voice, "I know. I'd rather not get the boy involved in this at all, but you brought this down on yourself. And Lanna. And Sherryl. And Johnny."

Legolas's heart fell. So the girls hadn't made it out. Were they dead though? Alive? Dying? Were they able to pretend that they hadn't been in their right minds? Lanna would find a way of talking them out of it. She was good with words in that way, but would it be enough, this time? Somehow, Legolas didn't believe that it would. It didn't matter, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyways, he was in no position to assist them.

Johnny stood, the guards approached him, the larger smiled a cold, mocking smile.

"We have a treat for for you. An elf has come to visit," his deep voice snaked inside Johnny's ears and tightened on his heart. Confusion masked his face as he hoped for the best, that the guards were simply playing a prank on him as he had already seen done about ten times.

However, when the young boy stepped in to the man-made cavern, it was Legolas that he saw being held up between two guards, looking at Johnny in horror. Confused, Johnny did a quick look over of himself. He was dirty, but that was to be expected, being in the mines and all. The only other thing he could spot on himself was the bit of blood that had leaked on to his shirt when he had received a cut on his cheek from one of the guards. Other than that, Johnny was perfectly fine, so why did Mr. Legolas have that look on his face? More importantly, why was Mr. Legolas even here?

"So, unless you want to tell me about your plan, I need just a few more details, little Johnny Boy here will gain a few extra mementos," Regulus said to Mr. Legolas, pointing the knife casually enough at Johnny, but with a gleam in his eye that got the message across clearly. For the first time in all the hours Johnny had known Mr. Legolas, the elf looked lost.

"What am I doing again?" Lanna asked with a look in her eye that quite clearly said that she was hoping that the answer had changed. The three people had arrived at the spot that Lanna and Sherryl had originally stopped when they first made it out of the hell hole. And despite her objections, Aragorn and Sherryl had decided that it would be best if Lanna waited for everyone in the forest. The other two would go back and find out if Johnny and Legolas had escaped, Sherryl was wild with worry over the young boy.

"You're going to wait here while Aragorn and I do a quick sweep of the buildings. If we don't find either of them, we'll come back and wait for Legolas and Johnny in Rivendell," Sherryl explained once again, slightly exasperated with Lanna.

Grumbling incoherent words, Lanna went and sat on a tree stump.

"Alright, here you go," Aragorn said handing one of his smaller blades to Sherryl. And with that, the two set off again for the slaver's facility. A few paces led them into the shadows of the first building they encountered. With a slight nod and no parting words, Aragorn slipped along the buildings to the dungeons where Sherryl assumed Legolas would be while she herself headed to the mines where she knew she would find Johnny, the only person she was worried about at the moment. As she slipped in to the entrance she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but when she got a closer look, there was nothing there, only a few scuff marks on the ground. Faintly, she heard could hear Johnny, screaming out in pain. Rage overtook Sherryl as she sprinted towards the sound of his voice, vowing to destroy whoever stood in her way and disembowel the person harming the little boy.

However, as Sherryl neared the source of Johnny's voice, she realized that this might not be the best plan. As she got a handle on her fury, Sherryl slowed to a silent jog, thinking over the best way to save Johnny. There would obviously be other guards in the room, possibly even Regulus, but that would give her a chance to finish the job she has started.

Finally, after many twists and turns, Sherryl came upon the rocky cavern in which Johnny's screams had been emanating from, though they had just ebbed away. And as she poked her head around the corner, she had just enough time to slip in to the shadows before Regulus and about five other guards exited the cavern. Once they had gone, Sherryl stepped in to find Legolas sitting across the room from Johnny, tears streaming from the elf's eyes as he muttered incoherent apologies.

"Johnny! Oh, Johnny, what's happened to you?" Sherryl whispered as her eyes fell on the broken boy. He was curled up in the fetal position in a pool of blood, whip lashes lacing his back in a pattern only the devil could call beautiful.

"You shouldn't be here," the boy said as he reached for the woman. He had no restraints, his injuries and broken will were enough to hold him in place. The other side of the cavern was a different matter. Legolas had ropes dripping off his body, rendering him immobile. It took, from Sherryl's point of view, far too much time to cut the ropes off of him.

"Johnny's right, you shouldn't have come. You should be looking for Estel," Legolas said as the last of the ropes fell from his body.

"You mean Aragorn? We found him, in the forest. He was looking for you," Sherryl replied as she helped Johnny to his feet.

"I should have known," Legolas said with a small smile on his face as the trio exited the cavern and began the journey that would bring them outside.

"Then I'm glad you came. Earlier, Regulus made it sound as though you two had already died. Speaking of two, where's Lanna?"

"She's waiting in the forest, but we're going to have to find Aragorn before we can meet up with her," Sherryl replied.

As the group followed the tracks Sherryl had left in her mad rush to get to Johnny, a feeling of unease settled over them. Though Sherryl had paid no mind to it before, it became obvious that no guards were stationed at their posts.

"This is too easy. Why are they letting us just walk out?" Legolas wondered aloud.

"They're not even trying to stop us," Sherryl remarked.

When they reached the door that would lead them to the outside, Johnny rushed forward with a huge smile on his face in anticipation. However, Sherryl called him back out of caution and he trudged back to his companions, eager to smell the crisp, fresh air, once more. Sherryl smiled as she reached around Johnny and opened the door to the outside. Almost immediately, the air that the young boy had been longing for washed over them.

"I'd say," came the cruel, unwanted voice of Regulus, "it's time to repay Sherryl for the little stunt she and Lanna pulled just a few hours ago."

As he lifted the knife that Sherryl had dropped earlier, she saw that he was aiming for not her, but for Johnny. Fear overtook her body, yet she pushed past it as Regulus let the knife fly.

"NOOOOO!" she screamed, throwing Johnny aside and stepping forward to take the knife. As she stepped, time seemed to slow, the world around her seemed to cease, even though the knife was still a good ten or fifteen feet away. It was only Sherryl and the knife, the rest was blackness. Sherryl had a fleeting thought, a fleeting fear, that this was what awaited her. Darkness, emptiness, nothingness. However, her attention was drawn from the surrounding nothingness to the only other thing in her world. The knife. It spun, end over end, as it approached her, glinting with an unseen light. In her state of hyper awareness, the slowed travel of the knife made it easy to see all the flaws and imperfections of the knife. A knick in the blade where another knife landed on it. A dent in the handle from when she dropped it. A scratch near the tip where it rubbed against bone during a butchering. All this, Sherryl took in with respect. The respect that despite all the deformities, all the dents, this object would be the one that ends her life.

As the knife neared Sherryl, the world returned to normal, she became aware of Johnny screaming in denial, Legolas, momentarily shocked into paralysis; and Regulus looking expectantly at the knife.

It lodged itself in Sherryl's stomach.

Then, the darkness returned.

Johnny couldn't believe it. Sherryl couldn't be dead, she just couldn't. She'd always been there for him, no matter what. Now she was gone. And it was all Regulus's fault.

Regulus.

Johnny turned to the slave lord who grinning, triumphant at the kill. Why was he turning red? The whole world was turning red, in fact. However, at that moment, Johnny didn't care. All he cared about was making Regulus pay for what he'd just done.

Fueled and powered by rage, Johnny rushed Regulus, screaming words that didn't make sense to anyone but the grieving boy."That's all she ever did! What's happened here? Don't think you'll get away with this, young man! Don't play with your food, just eat it! NEVER AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME? NEVER AGAIN!" In all his fury, he managed to take Regulus by surprise and bring him to the ground, fists flailing. Beating the face in front of him to a bloody mash.

Behind him, Johnny could sense that Mr. Legolas was watching him, letting him get his anger out. But he could also sense another figure approaching, this one unfamiliar. Johnny planned to throw himself at that person, too.

Perhaps Mr. Legolas sensed this because he gently pulled Johnny off Regulus, whispering "That's enough, Johnny" in a soothing voice, bringing The grief-stricken boy back to his senses.

All he could do was cry into Mr. Legolas's shoulder after that.

Aragorn couldn't understand why Legolas was letting that boy rip into a downed man, but as he approached, that didn't hold his attention when he saw the crumpled body of Sherryl. Grief invaded his heart, though he had only known the woman a short while, he had respected her. She knew her priorities and would die to save her family.

Unfortunately, she had done just that.

"Legolas, we have to go. There were about a dozen guards back there and more are on their way," Aragorn said as he approached his friend who was now holding the boy in his arms.

"Were?" Legolas asked.

Aragorn nodded.

Legolas sighed to himself and started to stand, still holding the boy in his arms.

"Do you want me to...?" Aragorn didn't finish the sentence, but looked at Sherryl's body to get the point across.

"I think it would be best," Legolas nodded. So, Aragorn kneeled down and gently picked up the body of the fallen woman.

Then, the man and the elf left the retched slave house behind carrying the boy and the body, leaving the men to find their beaten leader.

Never again did Legolas wish to see that grove again.

The men ran through the forest in silence, the boy's sniffling was the only sound for miles, it was as though all the animals of the forest were mourning the death of Sherryl. Soon, they reached the clearing where Lana sat, waiting impatiently.

"Leggy! It's about time!" she was silenced as she caught sight of Sherryl. "What happened?"

"Regulus" was the only answer she needed. Silently, she held her hands out for the boy, whom "Leggy" handed over immediately. Aragorn was going to have to ask Legolas about that later, but this was not the time.

* * *

><p>*lily starts to cry*<p>

voice: Lily! Is that...tears?

smiley: Hey guys- LILY YOUR LEAKING!

voice: They're called tears

smiley: VOICE WE GOTTA GET HER TO A DOCTOR SHES BROKEN

voice: Actually-

smiley: Lily, don't die. You can't die. You have to write the epilogue!

voice: Smiley, she's not going to-

lily: I can't believe you, smiley! You k-k-killed her!

smiley: And? I've killed lots of people in this story. What's his face from Chapter 1, Atticol, Sheryll and Johnny. Wait, sorry spoiler.

voice: She's joking, Johnny doesn't die. Just calm down. Don't break the computer. It's okay.

lily: Smiley you're a genius!

*voice groans*

LILY EATS REVIEWS FOR BREAKFAST!

(Wow... that was slightly random)


End file.
